


Four Timelines That Didn't Happen (And One That Did)

by surestsmile



Category: Kamen Rider Den-O
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-14
Updated: 2012-06-14
Packaged: 2017-11-07 17:45:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/433743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surestsmile/pseuds/surestsmile





	Four Timelines That Didn't Happen (And One That Did)

1) It was something like taking care of an incredibly huge pet, Ryoutarou reflected, except this one talked and helped out with the family finances. After the weak argument with Owner over, "no pass, no access", nee-san had been surprisingly receptive to taking in "my really shy friend from Bulgaria with the really bad skin condition".

"He speaks very good Japanese," nee-san told him pleasantly, "how did you meet him?"

"Over the....internet?" Ryoutarou replied, eyes flitting nervously between his sister and watching Momotaros slowly navigate the crowded tables. At her expectant look, he meekly added, "He's a fan of traditional Japanese folk tales."

"Isn't that nice, you've found a fellow hobbyist," Airi said, and Ryoutarou nodded quickly and made up something about how Momo- yes nee-san, he is _quite_ the fan- was going to deliver coffee to children and he had better stop him. 

"This is better than being stuck at that shitty time train with that shitty woman," Momotaros said when Ryoutarou came up, surrounded by kids clamouring to look at his 'mask'. It was hard to tell with that permanent frown, but his Imagin almost seemed...happy.

"Don't swear in front of children," Ryoutarou chided, except Momotaros was past listening to him, scooping one kid up and then protesting when said kid grabbed at his horns.

 

2) "He smells like one of us," Momotaros said, arms crossed over and frowning hard at his coffee, as though that would give him an answer. In their collective minds, they could hear their contractor talking with the slit-eyed boy over the usual coffee and cake, poring over astronomy and star system books and not so subtly probing for any news of Imagin. Mostly though, Ryoutarou's informant seemed to be more interested in talking about the latest fashion trends and also asking after Airi-san's health.

"I like Kai," Ryuutaros protested, ableit a bit sullenly after listening in to the extended conversation on whether is Airi-san single or not, your sister has many admirers, Ryoutarou-kun. He flicked a cookie over at Momotaros for good measure, and then ducked behind a sleeping Kintaros for cover.

Urataros put one hand on Momotaros' head before he could go and give their youngest hell, and commented idly, "Well, we haven't seen any Imagin around him. And he has been useful." He stopped, looked as though he wanted to say something else before deciding to keep his mouth shut. Momotaros growled.

"I still-"

"...He's Ryoutarou's friend."

All heads swiveled to look at Kintaros, who had apparently woken up sometime during the conversation. Urataros hemmed and hawed before giving the bear Imagin a thin, defeated smile, while Momotaros scowled even uglier. "-don't like him," he finished in defiance, and Kintaros merely shrugged.

"I never said you had to," Kintaros said. There was a sudden starburst of warmth, from where Ryoutarou laughed unexpectedly at one of Kai's comments, and the Imagin all shuddered once and fell silent.

 

3) What Yuuto hated, most of all, was how sympathetic their enemy was, and how that made it all the harder to fight him face to face, now that they've finally figured out who was causing all the timestream mayhem. It was hard enough figuring out how things were going wrong; the Imagin were very good at hiding their tracks, and it was like an erosion of time, slow and undetected until it was nearly too late.

Nogami Ryoutarou was a thin, reedy looking thing, with high cheekbones and sunken eyes, and Yuuto half-thought that a stiff breeze could just blow him away. It was difficult to believe that this...this _boy_ was the source of all their problems, but he was, right down to the sickly look.

"I'm really sorry," Nogami said, soft-voiced and sincere and Yuuto bristled, which in turn made the red Imagin standing very closely at Nogami's side snarl out a warning to stay back. Deneb's guns made a clicking sound in response, but Yuuto shot out a hand to stop him.

"Look," he started, "no offense meant, I'm just-"

"Protecting your time," Nogami finished, and he shifted weight, nearly leaning into his Imagin, and his voice thickened as he said, "We all are."

Yuuto stared, and dear god Nogami was making it so hard to fight him, but maybe that was the plan all along. Gain the sympathy, then destroy time and turn it all to sand. "Then you understand," he finally gritted out, and picked up his last card.

Nogami's eyes fluttered so close that it almost seemed like he closed them, and took out the belt and pass. 

"Momotaros," Nogami called, calm and controlled. The red Imagin shot one last glare at Yuuto, and enveloped his contractor in a burst of red light.

"Henshin."

 

4) It was a nightmare of a world he woke up in, with quarter-formed buildings and roads and districts, and the rest filled in with incongruous sand and the occasional, dangerous pit where things and people fell into as time collapsed. The worst was how people moved around as though this was how they had always lived; Momotaros knew from his own memories that this was wrong wrong _wrong_.

He was alone too, and it was new to feel this panic, running and stumbling through the streets in search of something familiar. It was with a rush of relief when he accidentally stumbled upon the Milk Dipper, which, while it had been half-eaten away, still boasted the same cheery facade with the flowers and the sturdy ashwood door.

How flowers still existed in this wretched world was beyond Momotaros, but he pushed at the door, Ryoutarou's name almost in a shout-

"Momo-chan," Airi greeted, one hand pausing in her usual grinding, and the dissonance was so glaring that Momotaros nearly tripped on the steps. "N-nee-san?" he couldn't help but say.

"If you're looking for Kai-chan," she said, returning back to the crank, "he's upstairs, having one of those headaches again. Leo's with him too, such a nice Imagin." She clucked her tongue sympathetically.

"Kai?" Momotaros parroted. "What about Ryoutarou?"

Airi tilted her head, eyes coquettishly wide and inquiring, and Momotaros felt a growing horror trying to claw its way out of his belly. "Is that a new friend, Momo-chan?" she asked, and smiled.

 

5) It's been years snce he's seen them, decades upon decades, and everyone must have grown older (wiser too, maybe). There are days where he's too tired to open the Milk Dipper, although he still grinds the coffee with the ancient hand-crank, finding the smell of the beans soothing and familiar, even though there are more advanced ( _quicker_ ) ways of making coffee.

If his grand-nephew and nieces feel like dropping by, his door is always open to them. They have children of their own, and it feels strange to be a great-granduncle, but it's fun and exciting in the same way all other events in his life had been. Sometimes he finds bright-coloured candy stashed in a cupboard, complete with a small card strong with the smell of shiitake, and laughs every time it happens.

He enjoys living. But perhaps, instinctively tied to time, he starts making arrangements, paying last visits, and really, saying goodbye without saying goodbye.

When the time comes, he pens on the paper, "Thank you for the memories," and sticks it next to nee-san's beloved grinder. As the clock winds down to 11:11, he closes up the Milk Dipper for the last time. Winter's chill makes him wrap the red scarf around his neck all the tighter, and he makes his way slowly to the Kibougahara. The pudding in his hand feels wonderfully light, plastic bag bumping against his leg as he climbs, step by step towards the stars.

He has to shield his eyes a little when the familiar whistle and flash of light appears in the distance, but soon enough the hands and the voices are there, reaching out and calling his name.

Ryoutarou is barely aware of his scarf being snatched away by the wind, and he reaches out too, feels his heart overflow and the years melt away, and says, "I'm home."


End file.
